IURC
News Release

Contact:Mary
Beth Fisher

For Immediate Release

June 10, 2002

AREA CODE POOLING HELPS PRESERVE NUMBERS IN 317

The
Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission announced today that the need for area
code relief in the 317 area code has been delayed until at least 2006.

The
Numbering Plan Administrator recently notified the Commission that the life of
the area code had been extended. Without number pooling, it was estimated that
the 317 area code would run out of usable numbers by the third quarter of this
year.

Commission
Chairman Bill McCarty commended the telephone industry for its
cooperation.“Number pooling has worked
out very well. The carriers have been very cooperative and helped prolong the
life of the area code.”

Area
code relief activities are administered by NeuStar, which was selected by the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to serve as the North America Numbering
Plan Administrator (NANPA).NANPA is a
neutral, third-party administrator that works with the telecommunications
industry in developing area code relief plans and also oversees the assignment
of area codes throughout the U.S, Canada, Bermuda, and 16 Caribbean countries.